Bad news for Aggies, Red Raiders

The Texas A&M basketball team dropped back-to-back SEC matchups to Missouri and Arkansas days after they reappeared in the nation's top 25.

Despite the hot streak that shot the Aggies back up to 21 overall amidst an upswing in the up-and-down season, certain A&M players were disciplined for their behavior off the court and one was even removed from the team altogether. Analysts across the country were eager to see how the team would respond to the disappointing turn of events.

It appears that they have their answer, at least in the short term. The Aggies put themselves in a great position entering the week, but were still just 500 against the SEC with Missouri and Arkansas in similar standings.

After a closely contested loss to the Tigers, the Aggies were dismantled by the Razorbacks who appeared dominant in a 94-75 victory. The 6-8 record drops them among the likes of LSU and Georgia in the SEC standings and slightly below the middle of the pack.

A&M will have a chance to make up some ground and better position themselves for the SEC tournament with games against Vanderbilt, Georgia and Alabama left on the schedule. The Aggies hosted the Mississippi State Bulldogs last night in College Station.

Texas Tech, who have had a remarkable season thus far, dropped their fourth game in the Big 12 on Saturday. The Red Raiders, who entered the game ranked 7 overall in the country, were knocked off in an upset to unranked Baylor in Waco.

In potentially catastrophic news, Tech leading scorer Keenan Evans limped off the court near the end of the first half and did not return for the rest of the game. Coach Chris Beard announced postgame that the early diagnosis was a toe injury.

If Evans is unable to return, the Red Raiders would likely miss out on a rare opportunity to win the Big 12. It's hard to see Tech holding on over the Kansas Jayhawks without Evans, who is second in the Big 12 in scoring only to Oklahoma's freshman sensation Trae Young.

After a road game in Oklahoma State tonight, the Red Raiders will host a critical game against Kansas on Saturday that could very well decided the winner of the regular season conference title. Tech and Kansas are currently tied for the best record in the 12.

The Big 12 has been one of the better conferences in college basketball this season. Under Tech and Kansas sits West Virginia, Kansas State, Oklahoma, TCU and Baylor.

Elsewhere in college hoops, the ACC and Big 10 seem to be where all the action is once again. The two conference alone boasted 8 of the nation's top-25 teams entering last week.

Virginia of the ACC had the week off and retained the top rank in the nation while Michigan State of the Big 10 held off a pesky effort by Northwestern and will remain number two.

The defending champion North Carolina Tar Heels stayed hot and have now won 5 straight games in the ACC, including a home victory over Duke. UNC, who looked dead about two weeks ago, is poised to keep climbing up the polls with a couple challenging matchups left on the schedule.

Duke rebounded with three straight wins, including a road triumph over number 11 Clemson. Clemson has been highly touted throughout the season, but the difficult ACC slate has finally seemed to get the best of them as they have dropped two in a row. They drop below Duke and North Carolina in the ACC standings and should do the same in the national polls.